Format war facts for kids
A format war is the competition between two or more different formats to become the industry standard. Standards are important in every industry and format wars are common. The winning standard usually gets the largest market share. The losing format often suffers dying sales until it is gone completely. Sometimes the winning format is technically the best, but usually the different formats have different advantages. Being first or being cheaper can also help one design win out over its rivals.
Examples
- Direct current vs. Alternating current for power distribution.
- Various Rail gauges
- wax cylinders vs. the Gramophone record for early music recordings
- VHS vs. Betamax for video recording tape
- Microsoft and Intel (Wintel) vs. Apple Inc. and Android computer operating systems
- Blu-ray Disc vs. HD DVD for laser discs
Images for kids
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VHS and Betamax tapes
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Adapter for SD to CF(I)
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HD DVD and Blu-ray cases
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See also
In Spanish: Guerra de formatos para niños
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Format war Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.